This line is from the entrance Antiphon for Mass today, which gives the name to this Sunday, Gaudete or “Rejoice” Sunday. The third Sunday of Advent is further marked by the lighting of a rose colored candle to symbolize our halfway point through the season. It is a time to rejoice for the Lord is near. We have hearing our repentance, preparation for the Lord’s coming, and the anticipation of our Savior’s birth.

     Historically, we know this has happened and that does indeed give us reason to rejoice. We spend this time in preparation to celebrate the Love of God made manifest in the incarnation of Jesus. But in a larger sense we are preparing for the Lord’s second coming at the end of time. Advent therefore, looks backward in time and forward as well.

     While we cannot say we are at the halfway point of our individual life, as we do not know the hour or the day of the Lord’s coming, we can think of our lives as midway between being loved into redemption by God and awaiting the final decision of how we have spent our lives. Jesus asked the crowds who were following him in today’s Gospel, “What did you go out into the desert to find? What were you looking for? Perhaps as we reach this mid-point in our Christmas preparation we can find the time to reflect on what exactly are we searching for this year? What are we hoping to find in our faith life?

    What do we want to receive from God, our Church, and our family? In addition, what are we doing to properly condition ourselves for the gifts that God bestows on us? Christmas will be here before we know it. Advent will become a blur, a passing, a time to cook, buy, visit, and party. Maybe we can make a real effort to experience a spiritual Advent not just a shopping adventure.

Deacon Tim Crooker